As a child of the civil rights era, Maria Noel watched her parents react with sadness and horror when Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and President John F. Kennedy were assassinated.

She remembers her mom and a neighbor watching for her and the other Alton Park students as they came home from school because white people sometimes threw things at the children and spit on them. And she knew better than to head for the public restroom at a gas station on a family trip.

Republican gubernatorial candidate Mae Beavers is banking on the idea wealthy candidates won’t be able to buy voters in 2018.

“Most of them seem to think they can write a hundred-dollar check to everybody in Tennessee and get their vote. I just don’t think it’s gonna play out that way this time,” says Beavers, an ultra-conservative state senator from Mt. Juliet who says she hopes President Donald Trump will give her a bounce at the polls.

“We are very pleased to welcome these talented attorneys to our litigation team,” says Bill Dearing, chair of Chambliss’ litigation and risk management practice. “Andrew, Kelly and Nate are all extremely bright and are outstanding individuals with unique experiences that will prove valuable to our clients.

Todd Kelly Jr. can’t believe it’s his last hoorah. The senior safety from Webb School of Knoxville enters his final season at Tennessee with thoughts of how it all started in fall of 2014.

“It’s wild how time flies,” Kelly says. “The veterans told me when I was a freshman, ‘When you blink your eye and snap your finger, you’ll be a senior and it will be all over with, and it will be your last time running through the ‘T.’”

In “A Ghost Story,” characters played by Casey Affleck and Rooney Mara are awakened one night by a heavy bang on their piano. They investigate but find nothing.

A horror film might have used this scene to introduce a terrifying supernatural entity and place its protagonists in mortal danger. But “A Ghost Story” isn’t a scary movie. Rather, it’s a supernatural drama intended to haunt rather than frighten viewers.

The collection of animals at the Chattanooga Zoo has once again expanded.

Through the zoo’s partnership with the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ SSP, the zoo has acquired two sand cats from the Exotic Feline Breeding Compound’s Feline Conservation Center in Rosamond, California. These solitary creatures are native to the deserts of North Africa and Central Asia.

Crews are making progress remediating Northpoint Boulevard in Chattanooga. The repairs will bring the road up to standards and increase safety along the route that connects Hixson Pike and Highway 153.

As part of repaving Northpoint, the city will be restriping the road. Upon completion of the project, the road will include the same prior number of lanes (three), which includes two travel lanes and a center turn lane along the full length of the corridor.

The Charles H. Coolidge Medal of Honor Heritage Center has signed a letter of intent with the River City Company to build its Heritage Center at the Visitors Center building in Aquarium Plaza and plans to open in February 2020, contingent upon achieving specific fundraising benchmarks.

The outlook for home construction and sales appear to be bright in the foreseeable future, says Robert Dietz, Ph.D., chief economist for the National Association of Homebuilders. Dietz spoke recently to a joint meeting of the Home Builders Association of Greater Chattanooga and the Greater Chattanooga Association of Realtors.

Maintaining a healthy lawn can be a challenge during the summer months, but ignoring that challenge can diminish a home’s “curb appeal” and its value.

Summer’s heat, drought and high humidity can dehydrate grass and lead to desertification, while a host of fungal diseases, like brown patch, can lead to dead turf. Protecting against these maladies can save home owners money on landscaping and yard maintenance and will help enhance the home’s value over the long term.

The ninth annual National Treasures at Point Park, which will benefit the Friends of Chickamauga & Chattanooga National Military Park, is scheduled for Thursday, Aug. 24 from 5:30-8:30 p.m. The evening will include live music, a buffet dinner and complimentary drinks.